Chapter 6

    Foraging the Forest

    A week later, the cane Kit had been using to help him walk was no longer necessary, but he still carried it out of habit.

    Little Kit examined his body, noticing he had gained more flesh and was recovering abnormally fast. While cooking in the early morning, he finally voiced his doubts. Sister Lisa answered without hesitation.

    "I have the blessing of the God of Light. When my powers awakened, I gained a lowest-level healing power..." she paused, tasting the bone broth before adding a little salt. Her voice turned wistful as she explained further, "It can't heal serious injuries, but at least it keeps the children healthy."

    "That's still much better than me, who received the blessing of the God of Craftsmanship. Cheer up," Sister Anne chimed in. "I’m quite proud of the talent bestowed upon me. I don’t want to brag but I made all the wooden tools here myself…"

    "Wow... That's amazing. Will I ever have a special power like that?"

    "Everyone has a blessing from the gods. Don't worry... Do you remember which god blessed you at birth?" Sister Anne decided to ask, though the question touched on… sensitive family matters.

    "That is probably another thing I have no memory of at all."

    Little Kit’s face darkened at the mention of his childhood memories—since the soul inside him was entirely new, there was no such information. It was as though a new spirit had replaced the one that had died.

    "What a shame... But don’t worry," Sister Lisa comforted him with a wink. "If you really want to find out, there’s a device that can help identify it. However, it’ll take some time to get one since we don’t have it at this church."

    Kit’s face lit up with hope for the future… and the gloomy expression disappeared.

    Later, the children’s meals were prepared and distributed by James, whose strength as a blessing from the God of Might proved very helpful. Kit watched the children enjoy their meal but began to worry—would they eventually get bored of eating the same thing every day?

    A monotonous diet could become another problem that needs to be addressed. The variety of food was also important for the children’s growth. They couldn’t rely solely on Sister Lisa’s power for their health.

    "Ah! How could I forget something so important?" Sister Anne exclaimed while cleaning up the dishes.

    "Kit, we’ve prepared a new name for you." She reached out to gently stroke his soft golden-brown hair. "The naming ceremony in front of the gods will be held three days from now, on the same day as the thanksgiving ceremony to the gods before winter arrives."

    "It will be a busy day. I’ve told Anna that you’ll be in the naming ceremony, so don’t worry about your clothes and attire." Lisa added.

    "Understood..." Little Kit thought about how it might resemble a baptism ceremony he had heard about before. "Sister, after we finish preparing the kitchen in the afternoon, may I take a walk outside?"

    "Of course, just be sure to return before dinner preparation time."

    Kit’s face lit up with excitement at those words. The kitchen was cleaned at lightning speed, and the ingredients for dinner were prepped in record time.

    "Whew... Finally done." Kit stretched to ease his stiffness before packing a small cloth bag with a small knife and a few digging tools.

    "Metal must be scarce here... This must be a tough era, or… we must be far from any major cities," he muttered to himself.

    After checking that everything he intended to bring was in good condition, the little boy walked out the back door toward the side of the old church, now in a state of disrepair. A cold wind blew past, making him wrap both arms around himself for warmth. Such a chilly atmosphere was utterly unfamiliar to a soul who had spent his entire life in a tropical city.

    In cold-climate forests, a variety of edible treasures were hidden—wild mushrooms, berries, and even tubers like wild yams and potatoes. The images from his previous life were vivid in his mind. Now, all he needed to do was find them.

    The tall pine trees, with dry branches that made excellent firewood, bore signs of past harvesting along the way. At the forest’s edge, plump wild onions and withering garlic leaves were abundant. Beneath the leaf-littered tree bases, various mushrooms had started to sprout.

    "Hmm… Lion’s Mane?" Kit picked a small piece and pressed it lightly against his lips for a test. As he waited to see if there was any reaction, he continued exploring and stumbled across more edible finds.

    "Aha... These are edible and smell amazing." A large patch of golden-yellow and deep-brown chanterelle mushrooms grew near a pile of rotting wood. His eyes lit up with excitement.

    These mushrooms were packed with B and D vitamins, along with essential minerals that helped boost immunity. Even better, they were incredibly versatile in cooking. Nearby, several clumps of termite mushrooms were beginning to sprout from the soil, and there were even some morel mushrooms—an unexpected springtime treat.

    "This… this is heaven-sent mushroom heaven." He carefully used his small knife to gently pry them from the soil. His rough fabric sack quickly began to fill and swell with the bounty.

    "Once dried, these will make excellent seasoning. Winter meals will be far more delicious…"

    The problem of monotonous meals was essentially solved—though it had never really been an issue. The children and the two nuns had been eating nothing but soup and hard bread for years. Only on rare festive occasions would they get a treat, like when Jason brought meat for the children to taste.

    Before long, the once-abundant mushroom patch started to thin out as little boy’s sack reached its limit.

    "This will be enough for now… We need to leave some for next year," he reminded himself, recalling a lesson from a documentary. There were three essential rules for foraging in the wild:

    First, know they are edible—personal experience and self-testing are crucial.

    Second, think of the future—harvest only what you need, ensuring nature can continue to thrive.

    Third, memorize key resource locations.

    If you followed these rules, you’d never go hungry… These principles were well within Little Kit’s capabilities. After thanking the mushrooms for their abundance, a gentle breeze swept through the forest once again.

    The unexpectedly heavy sack of mushrooms made him struggle to hoist it onto his back. Still, the twenty-minute walk back to the church was manageable. As he approached the building in the late afternoon, the children playing nearby greeted him in excitement.

    "Look. It’s Brother Kit. He’s also carrying somethinggg…"

    "Food, food, food, food…." They chanted like baby birds begging for a meal. Anna quickly stopped the little rascals from running off in all directions.

    Big Brother James rushed over to help with the heavy-looking sack, only to realize it felt light as a feather to him.

    "You… You’re not that strong yet. Why did you go out and mess around?"

    "Oh, come on, Brother… I’m grown up now. Besides… I wasn’t messing around," Kit retorted playfully and urged him to open the sack.

    A rich, earthy aroma filled the air. None of them had ever encountered such aroma before. The rough cloth sack was packed full of different kinds of mushrooms.

    "Hee hee. Pretty impressive, right?" Kit puffed out his chest with pride. "Tonight, get ready for some delicious mushroom porridge."

    "Are you sure it’s edible, Kit? How do you know? I’ve heard those mushrooms are dangerous. Someone from the village once died after eating strange mushrooms while foraging in the forest." James’s slender fingers picked up the Lion’s Mane mushroom with a disgusted expression. It didn’t look like something anyone should eat.

    "Ah... well, it’s hard to explain. Let’s do it this way: I’ll cook and eat some first. If nothing happens, then we can cook it for the others. Does that sound good?"

    James and Anna nodded in agreement, and the three of them took the large sack of wild food to consult with the two elders.

    "So, by taking a walk, you mean you were foraging for food?" Sister Lisa shot a stern look at Kit, making him avert his eyes.

    "I noticed our supplies were getting low, so I wanted to explore and see if there were any edible resources. Also… eating porridge every day might get boring for everyone… I’m sorry for not thinking it through carefully," Kit explained at length, sounding as though he had prepared the excuse in advance. The two elderly women rolled their eyes, seeing right through him.

    This little rascal is too clever! Not only did he point out their weak spot—the dwindling supplies—but he also made himself seem pitiful!

    "Sigh. It’s not that you’re wrong, but going into the forest alone is very dangerous. What if you encountered a wild animal? At the very least, you should have taken James with you," Sister Lisa scolded, repeating her warning several times before finally letting James and Anna return to their duties caring for the children.

    Curious, Sister Anne opened the cloth sack. When she saw a variety of mushrooms she recognized, a delighted smile spread across her face.

    "I recognize these golden and brown chanterelles! I’ve seen merchants selling them in Russel. They’re very expensive."

    "Expensive!? Really?" Kit’s remorseful expression instantly changed to excitement. "If we sell them, could we use the money to buy more supplies for everyone?"

    "If you have even half a sack of golden chanterelles, you could get several dozen silver coins for them. Lisa…What do you think?"

    "It takes two full days to travel to and from Russel. Adding time to handle the sale, it could take up to three days… Will these mushrooms last that long?" The three of them pondered the situation before coming up with a plan.

    "We’ll need someone to stay and watch over the church. Also, the thanksgiving prayer ceremony is just a few days away. How about I go into the city with Anna after the ceremony? That way, you and Kit can stay here and take care of the meals for everyone."

    Sister Anne’s suggestion was quite intriguing.

    Even though Kit felt a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be going to the city, the thought of contributing to something so important was satisfying enough.